Newsom endorses Rob Black for District 6

Not that I'm claiming to be ahead of the curve or anything, but my personal choice for Supervisor in District 6, Rob Black, was just endorsed by Mayor Newsom as his choice for the November election.

From the San Francisco Sentinel,

Mayor Gavin Newsom this afternoon endorsed challenger Rob Black for November election to the Board of Supervisors District 6 seat.

Both Black and Newsom portrayed Black as the best contender to lessen divisiveness in District 6 representation.

Newsom described the mayor's preferred standard for public service.

"You are held to a real standard in terms of being responsive to everybody's needs, not just one particular segment of a community," stated Newsom.

"You don't get to say, 'You know what? I'm going to turn my back to all of you because you're not important to me.'

"That's not the way you govern.

"And that's really why I'm so enthusiastic about Rob Black and his candidacy in this district.

"This district is changing dramatically and it's changing for the better, but we've got to harness that change in an appropriate way and brings this community together," Newsom said.

"Not try to divide it based on ideological lines. Not try to divide it because 'you're not one of us - you're one of them.'

"That's the stale politics of the past.

"It's a divisive kind of politics that's not helped the City. I believe it has hurt the City.

"So I am very enthusiastic about supporting Rob in his quest for this seat and I look forward to working with all of you in the course of the next hundred or so days to make his passion and his dreams represent yours." [more...]

Everybody Hates An (Alleged) Party Crasher [SFist]
Newsom backs Black in supervisor's race [SFGate]
ABC Vol. 1 - Anybody But Chris [SFHomeBlog]
SFist interviews Rob Black, candidate for D6 Supervisor [SFHomeBlog]

Developer Throws in the Towel on 39 Chattanooga Street

From the Noe Valley Voice,

For four years, a modest Noe Valley home built during San Francisco's infancy has been the flashpoint in an intense battle between a neighborhood developer and local preservationists.

But last month, John Williams abandoned his effort to transform the dilapidated 19th-century cottage at 39 Chattanooga Street into a residential complex four times the size of the original building. He sold the property in a deal that closed escrow June 20.

"Life's too short," said Williams, a resident of Elizabeth Street. "I spent years trying to make something happen there...but I just found the neighbors very difficult to work with." [more...]

Rumors Behind the News - Noe Valley Voice [SFHomeBlog]

SFBG's Best Neighborhoods of 2006

Whether you agree or not, the SF Bay Guardian has released their annual Best of the Bay issue, and they list six San Francisco neighborhoods as their favorites...

1. The Castro
2. Glen Park
3. Hayes Valley
4. Third Street
5. Union Street
6. Valencia Street

Get the details on why right here.

'Saving local industry' by driving up housing prices?

First, I am not in favor of housing over existing industry. I'm also not in favor of people complaining about things that have been around since long before they bought their uber-loft. But what I'm REALLY not in favor of is misguided ideas about how to solve problems.

This week's SF Bay Guardian gets it wrong AGAIN by suggesting that limiting housing to save industry might bring prices down...

It's almost an axiom in San Francisco planning policy: High-end housing drives out industry. That's only logical: When people buy million-dollar condos, they don't expect to get woken up in the middle of the night by delivery trucks or deal with the smell of diesel fuel or look out their windows at barrels of chemicals. When the dot-com boom turned parts of South of Market into a housing mecca for the newly rich and hip, the problem became serious: Businesses (including some nightclubs) that had been around for years and were operating entirely within the law, conducting operations that were well within the existing zoning, found themselves under attack from an influx of residents who considered many of the traditional uses of the area to be nuisances.

As high-end housing creeps farther and farther into San Francisco's industrial areas and the Planning Department continues to push for expensive housing in the southeast neighborhoods, the potential for even more clashes — which tend to end with an industrial business being forced either to leave or to spend a fortune revamping its operations — just grows.

The simple answer, of course, is to stop building pricey condos in industrial areas. But it's unlikely that anyone at City Hall is going to put a total halt to housing construction in or near industrial areas, so at the very least there ought to be some protection for existing businesses. [more...]

I do, however, agree with the concept of further disclosure about neighborhood noise and nuisances. I have an acquaintance who was under-informed when she bought her loft on Townsend about the all-night train noise. In case you've never been down there in the middle of the night, they don't shut down the CalTrain engines. Ever. They just run all night. And she didn't find this out till the first night she slept there. Yes, she was told it was near CalTrain, but full disclosure is always the best way to transact real estate.

Rethinking the Guardian's suggested homebuilding moratorium [SFHomeBlog]
Moratoriums, Loopholes, and Housing Fees [SFHomeBlog]

More problems at DBI

The Department of Building Inspection is just not getting any better, now is it? Today's Chronicle is reporting on a little FBI raid of the offices on Wednesday...

FBI agents armed with a search warrant removed documents Wednesday from the files of a senior inspector at the San Francisco Department of Building Inspection related to a residential property on Alabama Street in the city's Mission District.

According to Building Inspection officials, federal agents spent two hours at the department's 1650 Mission Street office before taking documents central to the permitting process of a residential building renovation.

A city official familiar with the department said the senior inspector whose files were removed is Leo McFadden. Records show that McFadden owns a parcel at 838 Alabama St. through his company Jersey Street Associates. He could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

McFadden was the inspector in charge of reviewing a property that has been a focus of the criminal investigation of building inspection Supervisor Augustine Fallay, who has pleaded not guilty to charges in state court that he accepted bribes, including a $50,000 loan, and other favors over a 12-year stretch in exchange for approving permit applications. Fallay's case is scheduled to go to trial this fall. [more...]

It's no wonder that we see so many homes for sale with disclosures about work done without a permit. The process has gotten so convoluted that neither homeowners or contractors want to deal with anyone at 1660 Mission Street.

Now that's not to say that doing work without a permit is a good thing, but we're seeing more and more of it. Not only is the city losing money, but LOTS of work may be done to the point of being unsafe. And that's not good for anyone.

The only folks making any money are the third-party permit expediters who help contractors and homeowners navigate the bureaucracy and paperwork of the permitting process. This is usually only necessary for large projects, condo conversions, or changes in building status (adding or removing a unit), but the smaller jobs might just skip the permitting process altogether, knowing that home buyers will likely not know the difference or care.

As a home buyer, make sure you speak to the contractor's inspection service of your choice about the amount of work done without a permit and the possible ramifications down the road.

FBI probe results in another raid on DBI [Examiner]
Permit manager received loan after condo OKd, papers show [SFHomeBlog]
Help Wanted: SF Planning Department and Building Inspections [SFHomeBlog]

3rd Street light rail testing now, official launch April 7th

From today's SFGate,

The new Muni Metro route, officially known as the "T-Third,'' is in the testing stage. Muni officials hope to open the service on a limited, weekend-only basis in January. The official opening is set for April 7. [more...]

That's right, folks. April 7th. It's about time!

Supervisors approve rules to create more affordable housing

From today's SFGate,

The affordable housing regulations, contained in two pieces of legislation, would increase from 12 percent to 15 percent the units in new residential developments that must be rented or sold at below market rates.

If developers choose to build the affordable units at a different location, they would have to construct them within a mile of the market-rate project, and the number of affordable units must equal 20 percent of the number of units in market-rate development. The current percentage is 17 percent, and the affordable units need not be near the market rates ones.

Developers also could elect to pay the city to let a nonprofit affordable housing developer build the necessary below-market units. [more...]

News on Grocery Stores and Farmer's Markets

The Examiner today had two pieces related to grocery stores and farmer's markets. The first discusses the possibility of increasing the number of farmer's markets around San Francisco by using city-owned parks to host them...

Farmers markets may soon open up for business in a number of San Francisco’s parks.

Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi will introduce legislation today that establishes a formal process for farmers market organizers to apply with The City’s Recreation and Park Department to periodically set up a market on land overseen by the department.

“I’m enthusiastic in helping empower neighborhood vitality,” Mirkarimi said, adding that “farmers markets bolster the economic stability of all of our diverse neighborhoods.”

Also, the legislation could not have come at a better time, he said, given “this mass closure of grocery stores throughout The City.”

Interest has been shown to set up farmers markets at Golden Gate Park’s Panhandle, in Mirkarimi’s district, as well as on Rec and Park land in the Sunset District. But, to date, these proposals have not been supported. [more...]

And the second discusses both the closings of the Albertson's stores in San Francisco as well as the closing of the Cala Foods on Stanyan and the resulting political debacle that has arisen...

A group of toddlers stood holding signs in front of the Westfield San Francisco Centre on Monday asking residents to help keep their neighborhood grocery stores open.

The children, with their parents, stood protesting at the future home of a Bristol Farms, a high-end supermarket with ties to Albertsons. Five of The City’s 28 major grocery stores have shut down in the last year, leaving some neighborhoods without a market to buy fresh produce, meat or dairy products.

And, according to some experts and community activists, the supermarket business is shifting toward larger, higher-end stores such as Whole Foods, Mollie Stone’s and Bristol Farms.

In June, Albertsons announced it would be closing 37 Northern California stores, including one on Alemany Boulevard and another on Clement Street in San Francisco. The announcement came just a year after Cala Foods announced the closure of two stores in The City, one on Stanyan Street and another on Mission Street, and the sale of nine others. [more...]

Upper Haight split over fate of vacated Cala site [Examiner] (scroll halfway down)
Cala leaves, political impasse arrives [SFHomeBlog]

Lots of links from SFGate today

After more than a few slow news days, we get a slew of articles on SFGate today covering housing in San Francisco...

City gets tentative OK to seize land for park

City poised to require more affordable housing

Property valuation notices to be sent

Chinatown renters unite to own homes

Protests block CCSF from moving into old high school

From today's Examiner,

Proving the old adage about the squeaky wheel, community outcry in Pacific Heights reversed a decision by City College of San Francisco to move into a former public high school site.

Newcomer High School, a 400-student public school that served teenagers who are recent immigrants, was housed last year within a school district building in Pacific Heights. When San Francisco's school board decided to close, merge and relocate some schools last January as a cost-cutting measure, they decided to move Newcomer in order to cash in on the high lease value expected for a building in the tony neighborhood.

Despite protests from Newcomer staff and parents — as well as District 2 Supervisor Michela Alioto-Pier — the school district made plans to lease the building to the community college for a reported $700,000 a year. The battle raged on however, with neighboring residents joining in with concerns over the traffic that the older students would bring to the area.

In June, City College officials decided to withdraw their offer. In a letter to the college's board of trustees, obtained by The Examiner, Chancellor Phillip Day acknowledged, "As misguided as the neighborhood group is in asserting its opposition to us they do not intend to back off, and are currently in the process of raising monies for a legal defense fund."

The district is still hoping to lease out the building, Board of Education President Norman Yee said, adding that Newcomer will be relocated to a school building in the Sunset District.

But what use would these NIMBY neighbors approve? Is there anything that would make financial sense in a building that large that WOULDN'T result in an increase in people and traffic in the neighborhood?

So just like the Cala Foods in the Haight, this building will likely be a vacant eyesore for MANY years to come.

Cala leaves, political impasse arrives [SFHomeBlog]
Students Say No to Closing Newcomer [Asian Week - May 2000]
San Francisco Unified School District [Wikipedia]

Scrap the stadium and sell off Candlestick Point for housing?

SF Cityscape suggests that there might be better uses for the land under the current 49ers stadium,

Forget about the Olympics. An international competition? Local contention is more like it; political grandstanding is our civic sport. And get ready to welcome your Santa Clara 49ers — the city doesn't gain much financially, anyway, from a handful of home dates a year, and most Niners fans would probably rather tailgate in the Great America parking lot. So where does that leave Candlestick? How about we make it ... wait for it ... a neighborhood? And by "neighborhood," we don't mean a monolithic modern development, like Mission Bay, or like Lennar will probably propose as part of the new stadium deal; we mean a real city district, the way we used to build them. [more...]

Richmond District Town Hall Meeting - July 29th

From SFGov.org,

Saturday, July 29, 2006 from 12:00 PM to 2:00 pm
Presidio Middle School, 450 30th Ave.

Join Mayor Gavin Newsom and Supervisor Jake McGoldrick for a conversation about community issues and projects in the Richmond District.

For more information Please contact the Mayor's Office of Neighborhood Services at 554-7111, or Supervisor Jake McGoldrick at 554-7410.

Eviction ruling favors landlords

From today's SFGate,

A San Francisco landlord needs to own only 25 percent of a building, rather than 50 percent, to have the right to evict a tenant and move into the apartment, an appellate panel has ruled.

The decision Monday by the Appellate Division of San Francisco Superior Court addressed a conflict between two ordinances, one signed in October 1998 by then-Mayor Willie Brown, and the other, Proposition G, approved by the voters a month later. Both were backed by tenant groups unhappy with an increasing rate of evictions.

Today's fire at Central & McAllister

For those that weren't home (or in the North Panhandle) around 5pm tonight to see the enormous fire at Central & McAllister, I got a photo to share with you.


The fire more or less destroyed three buildings, and damaged a total of five, on both McAllister and Central (I'm guessing it destroyed a total of eighteen to twenty apartments). I left my house to investigate after I heard the twentieth fire truck go by, and noticed the huge plume of smoke.


This is such a bummer. Hopefully nobody was injured, that everyone's pets got out alright, and that folks have some insurance...




Firefighters Respond To Blaze Near Univ. Of SF [NBC11]

Blaze damages 5 buildings in Western Addition [SFGate]

Five apartment buildings burned in blaze near USF [Examiner]
Make a family fire plan [Lifehacker]

Significant chunk of unbuilt land in Noe Valley seeks permit

While I was out on Broker's Tour today, I noticed that the huge, vacant lot at the corner of Valley and Castro Streets in Southern Noe Valley had permits recently posted (July 13th). This corner has obviously been vacant forever, and to my knowledge, it's the largest privately-owned unbuilt (and buildable) chunk of land in Noe Valley and possibly in all of San Francisco.


There is a brand-new appeals notice posted for two new single family homes at 501 and 507 Valley Street, but I think this space is larger than just two lots. As you can see in the photo, there is a project underway on Castro Street where they are adding another structure to the front of that lot, and likely remodeling the rear structure(s). The rest of this open area has been fenced off (read: not used by neighbors or anyone else) but looks like it will now be developed into at least two single family homes.


It also appears to me like there might be two additional lots in this amount of space (one more on Castro and one more on Valley), but I'll have to look that up to find out (see update below).


Two other houses at 554 and 558 Valley Street are just being completed and are being listed for $2,995,000 each. They are very nice, new construction homes, and given that another $3M home in Noe just went into contract after only a few days, there are likely going to be buyers to snatch these two homes up eventually (if not quickly).


But the reason for my post on this is that neighbors have until July 28th to appeal the permits for 501 and 507 Valley Street. If you're a neighbor and you want to know what's going to be built there, you should call the Planning Department or the Board of Appeals before the 28th. If you don't, you're not allowed to get your NIMBY shorts all bunched up after the houses get built. That's the rule. So you can't say I didn't (or the city didn't) give you fair warning...

UPDATE: In looking at the parcel map for the block, it looks like there are three vacant lots facing Castro, and no lots facing Valley (until you get to 519 Valley), so the owners/developers must have done some sort of lot reconfiguration. The addresses of the lots on Castro are 2200, 2206, and 2212. 2218 is likely the address of the building that is currently under construction.

A standard SF residential lot is 25 feet wide. This vacant corner is 105 feet deep. If you turned the addresses to face Valley, you could hypothetically turn these three vacant lots into four vacant lots that were 25 feet wide by 75 feet deep, which is totally feasible in most neighborhoods.

Also of note is that the owner/developer originally applied for this permit in June of 2005, so it's already been 13 months of bureaucracy to get to this point, and they're still far from moving their first shovel-full of dirt.

Monks and brides rejoice: Fillmore Ski Jump moves to AT&T Park...

NBC11 is reporting that Icer Air 2006 will be held at AT&T Park on November 4th instead.


You'll probably remember last year's event was decried by numerous parties and postponed due to a wedding, but eventually went off as a successful event in honor of Olympian Jonny Mosely's 30th birthday.



AT&T Park To Be Covered In Snow [NBC11]

Ski jump event will be back in S.F. — this time at ballpark [Examiner]
Jonny Moseley jumps to AT&T Park this year [SFGate]
--
Pacific Heights ski jump is on again - SF panel votes 8-0 to approve event next week [SFHomeBlog]

Chilly reception for Olympian's plan for ski jump in Pacific Heights [SFHomeBlog]

Another 'bubble' blogger gives up

Caught this on the NYT Walk-Through... The Marin Real Estate Bubble blog is considering throwing in the towel...

I’ve lost my faith, at least for Marin County. Despite all reason and rationality to the contrary, I am no longer so sure that Marin County will succumb to a collapsing housing bubble. I’m actually starting to think that somehow Marin (and maybe the Bay Area at large) is not subject to the same laws of economics as everywhere else. Seriously. [more...]

Perhaps he finally realized that real estate really is local and there are places (like San Francisco) where demand always exists. We're seeing a different market from last year, but it's nowhere near a 'bubble', and in my world, I'm not seeing anything but a good, balanced market.

Have we finally seen a bubble burst... With the 'bubble' bloggers? [SFHomeBlog]

Cala leaves, political impasse arrives

Cala Foods at Haight & Stanyan shut down last month, up goes the chain-link fence, and the plans for a new grocery (rumored to be Whole Foods) along with 50-60 rental housing units are submitted.


Then the unions get involved (because Whole Foods is non-union), and I'm sure the 'Supes will get involved, and my guess is that I'll be retired and living on an island before the Haight has a full-service grocery in that location, not to mention the associated living units (RENTALS, too!) which won't get built until the property owner knows that he can put a grocery store in there.


What a shame.


From today's BeyondChron,

The closing of the full-service, unionized Cala Foods in San Francisco’s Haight Ashbury district has prompted a neighborhood battle over the future use of the site. Longtime neighborhood builder John Brennan purchased the property, and plans to construct between 50 and 60 condominiums above a new full-service supermarket. Opponents of the project believe the proposed 176 underground parking spaces will create a traffic nightmare, and many prefer affordable housing to condos (though Brennan rents out his condos). But the bigger question involves the plan for a non-union Whole Foods supermarket to replace Cala. As the Bay Area’s unionized supermarkets fight to survive against non-union competitors, Whole Foods expansion could come at the expense of the industry’s living wage blue-collar jobs. On the other hand, approving Whole Foods keeps a full-service market in the neighborhood and creates a great opportunity for a labor-community union organizing campaign. [more...]

HANC Hampers Whole on Haight [SFist]
City’s grocery stores grow increasingly rare [SFHomeBlog]

Sidewalk Landscaping Permits

This came up on the SFGov.org site this morning,

The Department of Public Works - Bureau of Urban Forestry is now accepting permits for sidewalk landscaping. In addition to planting trees, this permit allows property owners to convert a portion of the sidewalk in front of their property into an attractive landscaped area. It looks great, provides habitat, reduces flooding, and is good for property values!


To apply for a sidewalk landscaping permit, review the instructions and fill out the application [on the SFGov site]. DPW staff will be happy to assist you.

See photos of some example projects on the PlantSF site here.



How-To Install Permeable Landscaping [PlantSF]

Sidewalk landscaping permits available [SFGate]
Garden transforms a mean street [SFGate]

New fee duns residents for railings, greenery [SFHomeBlog]

Greening Guerrero Street

This is reprinted from an email I received today...

The San Jose/Guerrero Coalition to Save our Streets along with Zephyr Real Estate is planning to plant the center medians on San Jose Avenue and Guerrero Street on November 4th, 2006 from 20th Street to 30th Street. An initial pilot planting on Guerrero between Cesar Chavez and Duncan Streets was met with much praise.

In addition to beautifying the corridor the goal of the planting is to instill traffic calming, reduce traffic accidents and make the streets safer for pedestrians. All the trees, shrubs and plants are drought tolerant with minimal care needed.

If you are interested in making a tax-deductible donation to support the planting, make your checks payable to "Friends of the Urban Forest" and write "Greening Guerrero" in the memo section. Mail your checks to: Steve Kopff, 50 Valley Street, San Francisco, CA 94110. For more information check out the website at http://www.sanjoseguerrero.com/ or call 415 824-2975.

The San Jose/Guerrero Neighborhood [official web site]

New library takes up residence in San Francisco's Mission Bay

From the San Francisco Sentinel,

The Mission Bay Branch Library is synonymizing the words library and community on the waterfront corner of Fourth and Berry Streets, boasting a multi-use facility with 139 units of affordable elderly housing, the first community meeting room in the neighborhood, a retail space and ample storage for 34,000 books and media.

As the first new San Francisco Public Library branch to open in 40 years, the 7,500-square-foot space barely resembles the City's older locations with its sleek, ultra-modern architecture, airy feel, and proliferation of amenities. [more...]

Vision of a library for Mission Bay taking shape [SFHomeBlog]

How to Avoid Foreclosure

Personally, I don't think this is any more applicable now than it is any other year, but it's always important for people who fall on hard times. There are definitely more positive ways to handle the banks and collectors, and it could allow you to keep your house, or at least sell it at a profit, before the bank takes it away.

Thanks to Lifehacker for the tip!

From the U.S. Housing and Urban Development web site,

Q: What Happens When I Miss My Mortgage Payments?

Foreclosure may occur. This is the legal means that your lender can use to repossess (take over) your home. When this happens, you must move out of your house. If your property is worth less than the total amount you owe on your mortgage loan, a deficiency judgment could be pursued. If that happens, you not only lose your home, you also would owe HUD an additional amount.

Both foreclosures and deficiency judgments could seriously affect your ability to qualify for credit in the future. So you should avoid foreclosure if possible. [more...]

How to Avoid Foreclosure [HUD]
Avoid foreclosure on your home [Lifehacker]
Survey Asks Why More Delinquent Borrowers Don't Call Lenders For Help [SFHomeBlog]
California Foreclosure Activity Up, But Still Near Historic Lows [SFHomeBlog]

The Fence comes down at Esprit Park

PoteroHillSF is reporting that Esprit Park (in the Dogpatch) is finally open!

Insurers Offer Special Protection To High-End Homeowners

From today's RealEstateJournal.com,

High-end homeowners can take advantage of concierge service from several insurance companies this summer to deal with natural disasters like hurricanes and wildfires.

As the Atlantic hurricane season advances, insurers such as American International Group Inc., Chubb Corp. and Allianz AG's Fireman's Fund Insurance Co., are rolling out services aimed at helping homeowners prevent severe losses. These insurers are heading to clients' homes before storms or wildfires hit to plan for safely storing valuables and generally minimizing damage. At least one insurer plans to step in immediately after a storm to keep damage from causing greater losses, such as water damage from a leaky roof. For the companies, the measures also are intended to avert high claims payouts.

AIG's Private Client Group is piloting a new Hurricane Protection Unit in three Florida counties starting this month that will send company employees to your home to scope out what you need to do to prevent wind and water damage. They'll work out a customized disaster plan to roll up your Oriental carpets and move them to higher floors, or evacuate your art collection to safety. After a storm hits, AIG will dispatch, even before you filed a claim, a special team with tarps and boards to patch up a leaky roof to make sure that more damage doesn't occur from rot and mold. [more...]

There's no mention of earthquake service, perhaps since it's so much less predictable, but there might be some merit to having someone come out and 'quake-proof' your house...

Proposition 90 a huge boon for property owners?

From Thursday's BeyondChron,

Those concerned about the misuse of eminent domain were encouraged by the circulation of a statewide initiative (Prop 90) to address the problem. Unfortunately, the initiative’s backers sought to capitalize on rising anti-eminent domain sentiment by inserting a sentence jeopardizing the future enactment of most land use laws, including amendments to San Francisco’s Rent Ordinance. This sentence---which allows property owners to sue government entities over any new law that reduces their property values---overwhelms the good part of the initiative. Prop 90’s specific language limiting eminent domain made this broad sentence unnecessary, raising questions about the motives behind November’s “Protect our Homes” initiative. [more...]

Property owners could sue for any reduction in property value? Chris Daly would be out of a job (since he'd have nothing left to do that wouldn't cause the city to be sued)... This could be a HUGE boon for property owners who have seen nothing but intended value reduction from decisions made by our infamous Supervisors... I'll look into this a bit more and post more soon...

Eminent Domain - How this could affect you... [SFHomeBlog]
Masters of Our Domain [SFCityscape]

Design Public Outlet sale

Got an email from Design Public about their new online outlet store for returns and samples. They also sell stuff as new on the site, but using the info and password below, you can access their outlet store.

Love modern design? Love getting a great deal? But don't want to get up wicked early on a Sunday to drive out to some warehouse just to get trampled by a hungry crowd battling for that last bargain bin pillow? Have we got the answer for you... an online sample sale!

For the first time, we've put our inventory of returns and samples online and are making them available for purchase by our Bay Area peeps. Almost all offered items are like new – either never-been-opened or new-but-out-of-their-packaging. (Conditions are indicated next to each item.) Prices are discounted 30-50% off retail... some below wholesale.

We have furniture and accessories in: kids and baby / nursery, bedding, beds, rugs, seating, tables, shelving & storage, lighting, pets, and gifts.

There are limited quantities of each item – usually just 1 or 2 – so don't wait too long or else another bargain hunter might score what you've been eyeing.

To access the outlet, click on this link: http://www.designpublic.com/outlet. The password is "sweetfreedom".

Before you go crazy on the outlet, we do have 2 simple rules:

1. Items must be picked up at our San Francisco office at 2nd and Brannan. After purchasing, please contact us to arrange for a pickup by replying to your email receipt.
2. All sales are final. Unfortunately we cannot accept any returns on sample sale items.

Questions? Please contact us: http://www.designpublic.com/contact

Designers currently featured in this sale include: (more to come soon):

* angela adams
* Area Bedding
* Blu Dot
* bugaboo
* Context Furniture
* David Brunicardi
* Dwell Bedding
* Emeco
* Fatboy
* Gus Design Group
* Holden Designs
* jefdesigns
* Lights Up!
* Mibo
* MIO Culture
* notNeutral
* Nurseryworks
* Oeuf
* OFFI
* Otis and Claude
* Pablo
* Salvor Fauna
* twenty2
* Vessel
* zid zid kids